Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Rocky Horror Sublimation: Identity As A Contingency Of Experience, Josh Harper

Senior Theses

Queer theory, as a subfield of feminist theories concerned with revealing epistemic, political, and humanitarian problems of a male-dominated society, has been heavily influenced by its founding thinkers, including Judith Butler, the theorist focused on herein. In critiquing various problems of our western society, Butler preserves the structure underlying such problems: through her approach of a gay/straight framework critiquing a male domination of female, the binary is preserved. This is problematic for many reasons, including its exclusion of perspectives that do not fall cleanly into such dichotomies, namely trans and polysexual ones. By appealing to these, as well as to …

Espaces Topologique Et Phénoménologique Dans Le Mal De Peau Et Le Retour Au Village, Mahamadou Lamine Ouédraogo

Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature

Le mal de peau by Monique Ilboudo and Le retour au village by Kollin Noaga are two Burkinabè novels featuring Sibila and Catherine (for the first) and Tinga (for the second). The study questions the part of spatiality in the semantics of indexed texts: how does space mean in these novels? This problem is attacked from two angles. First, it is a matter of identifying the modes of meaning of the topos. Secondly, it is about seeing how the body, as a phenomenological space, can articulate meaning.

Overcoming Barriers To Implementing Electronic Health Records In Rural Primary Care Clinics, Patricia Mason, Roger Mayer, Wen-Wen Chien, Judith P. Monestime

The Qualitative Report

Medicare-eligible physicians at primary care practices (PCP) that did not implement an electronic health record (EHR) system by the end of 2015 face stiff penalties. One year prior to the 2015 deadline, approximately half of all primary clinics have not implemented a basic EHR system. The purpose of this phenomenology study was to explore rural primary care physicians and physician assistants’ experiences regarding overcoming barriers to implementing EHRs. Complex adaptive systems formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with a purposeful sample of 21 physicians and physician assistants across 2 rural PCPs in the …

Grassroots Branding: An Exploration Of Grassroots Businesses Within The Florida Skateboard Community, Lawrence M. Shaw

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Why do original/grassroots branding efforts occurring on a local level continue to proliferate despite the existing market saturation created by larger corporate entities? Using existing theoretical frameworks associated with “do it yourself” (DIY) culture, this thesis explores cultures and themes associated with skateboarding, including the production and consumption of brands of skateboarding products; the use of space and spatiality by skateboarders; and, finally, changes in skateboarding. I conducted ethnographic interviews within a network of skateboard entrepreneurs in the Florida skateboard community, seeking to understand why they start brands, their perceptions of their entrepreneurial efforts, and how these businesses operate. Drawing …

“I Feel Like I’M Drawing Strength From It”: Lived Experiences Of Filipino Elderly Participating In Craft-Making, Sharon B. Cajayon, Romeo Luis A. Macabasag, Norilyn Limchanco, Vanessa O. Umali, Ellayza N. Blas, Michelle S. Angulo, Cristine Joy A. Breguera, Nikka Angela A. De Guzman, Sheila N. Malapi, Emmalyn E. Quibote

The Qualitative Report

In this phenomenological study, we offer an insightful understanding of the lived experiences of seven (7) Filipino elderly participating in craft-making. We purposively selected the key informants from a municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. The transcribed data gathered through a semi-structured in-depth interview was analyzed using Colaizzi’s approach. Six themes describing the lived experiences emerged: “Fostering friendship,” “Flourishing health,” “Furthering service,” “Facing aging with acceptance,” “Finding felicity and self-fulfillment,” “Feelings of belongingness and security.” Just like the sun, the elderly’s participation in craft-making serves as a nourishment for them. This exploration speaks to understanding the potential of craft-making …

Sensory Dots, No-Self, And Stream-Entry: The Significance Of Buddhist Contemplative Development For Transpersonal Studies, Charles D. Laughlin

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Based on the author’s nearly 50 years of meditation, it is observed that as a given alternative state is accessed and used over the span of years, experiences and capacities within that state are not merely static but may themselves shift as a practitioner develops neuropsychologically. An ethnographer using a substance within the context of a cultural practice may gain helpful direct insights into that cultural practice, but the researcher may fail to realize that the state attained by a novice may be substantively different from that gained by an elder or shaman with years of experience in the practice. …

How Do Former Undergraduate Mentors Evaluate Their Mentoring Experience 3-Years Post-Mentoring: A Phenomenological Study, Kari L. Nelson, Christine E. Cutucache

The Qualitative Report

This phenomenological study involves a unique, longitudinal assessment of the lived experiences of former undergraduate mentors (n=7) in light of their current experiences (i.e., career or advanced schooling). The objective of a phenomenological study is to engage in in-depth probing of a representative number of participants. Specifically, we followed up with graduates of the Nebraska STEM 4U (NE STEM 4U) intervention 3 years post-program, with the overall goal of describing the mentors’ experiences using the lens of their current experiences. This type of longitudinal perspective of mentoring is greatly lacking in the current literature. At the time of the interviews, …

International Students’ Transition Experiences In Rural Texas: A Phenomenological Study, Ian Lertora, Richard C. Henriksen Jr., Jesse Starkey, Chi-Sing Li

The Qualitative Report

Due to the growth in the number of international students attending universities in Texas and the need to provide appropriate counseling services to them, nine international students were interviewed about their experiences of transitioning from their home country to college in rural Texas. The authors employed the transcendental phenomenological approach to qualitative research (Moustakas, 1994) which allowed for the following seven emergent themes were identified that described the participants’ experiences: American TV; Knowing Someone; Like a Movie; Everybody Saying Hi; Transportation is Inconvenient; I Miss Noodles; and Being Optimistic. The emergent themes provided the basis for implications and recommendations for …

The Revival Of Sang Hyang Dedari Dance: A Phenomenological Approach To Social-Ecological Reconstruction In Bali, Lg. Saraswati Putri

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

This research and community engagementinvestigates an ancient Balinese ritual known as Sang Hyang Dedari. Thedance is interrelated to an agricultural aspect of the traditional Balineseliving. As the Balinese struggle tomaintain their values from the constant threat of modernization andindustrialization, this dance reveals the powerful impact of creating anawareness of socio-ecological equilibrium. The effort made by the villagers ofGeriana Kauh, Karangasem, displays how local community rebuilds its environmentbased on their traditional ecological value. Analyzing Sang Hyang Dedaridance through phenomenological approach, thus, it can be discovered how theritual sustains the social relations. The bodies of the dancers are the centerof an elaborate …

Breaking The Silence: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Secondary Traumatic Stress In U.S. College Student Affairs Professionals, Robert Jason Lynch

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Breaking the Silence: A Phenomenological Exploration of Secondary Traumatic Stress in U.S. College Student Affairs Professionals is a qualitative-intensive mixed methods study using phenomenology and art-based research techniques to uncover the essence of secondary traumatic stress in U.S. college student affairs professionals. Researchers in the fields of psychology, counseling, social work and other helping professions suggest that repeated exposure to individuals experiencing trauma, or hearing repeated details of an individual’s trauma, have negative outcomes on professional helpers. Coined secondary traumatic stress, this phenomenon may be defined as “the stress resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or suffering …

Temporality In Phenomenology: Utilizing The Principles In Practice For Significance Of A Sex Research, Ka Wing Kevin Kwan

The Qualitative Report

This article aims to demonstrate how the researcher can utilize the principle of temporality in phenomenology as a method to explore and to reveal the human experience through its application in sex research. Although phenomenological studies have been increasingly adopted for qualitative inquiry in the field of social science, the idea of the horizon of temporality and its practical utilization is rarely demonstrated explicitly. In this study, the researcher has investigated the interpretation of marital experience of Chinese spouses in Hong Kong who have been assessed with sexual dysfunctions with attention to the couples’ perspectives. Having adopted a synthetic qualitative …

Building Connections: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Qualitative Research Students’ Learning Experiences, Robin Cooper, Anne Fleisher, Fatima A. Cotton

Robin Cooper

This paper describes a phenomenological study in which the authors explored students’ experiences learning qualitative research in a variety of academic fields. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with six participants from various academic fields who had completed at least one post-secondary-school-level qualitative research course and who were not students of the researchers. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the researchers identified five primary themes representing the lived experience and meaning found in the participants’ experience of learning qualitative research: (a) a variety of feelings are experienced, (b) a pivotal experience serves as a catalyst in the learning process, (c) the central …

The Lived Experiences Of Position Specialists In A Team Sport Environment, Allison Brooke Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to discover the lived-experiences of position specialists in a team sport environment. Participants were intercollegiate male and female specialists (pitchers, kickers, punters, and goalies; N = 21) who were enrolled and participating in Division I, II, and III college sport (softball, baseball, football, women’s soccer, men’s soccer, women’s lacrosse, men’s hockey, and women’s hockey) at institutions throughout the South, Midwest, and Northeast. Interviews were conducted in person and via the phone with participants.

Interview transcripts were transcribed and then analyzed using grounded theory approach of collapsing codes down into categories or themes (Glaser & …

‘It’S Not Rocket Science’: Employees’ Lived Experiences And The Essence Of Employee Engagement, Laura Lou Lemon

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to better understand how employees perceive and experience engagement and participate in its meaning-making process. While employee engagement has been primarily explored within the business, the human resources, and management disciplines, public relations research has only recently taken an interest in furthering its understanding.

Within these disciplines, the functional perspective has dominated employee engagement research, which has potentially limited theoretical developments. In response to the current literature being inundated with a rational, functional approach, the following dissertation attempts: (1) to examine employee engagement from an array of organizational voices using phenomenological methods; (2) to …

Mental Health Counselors Working With Individuals With Developmental Disabilities: A Phenomenological Investigation, Syard G. Evans

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are often not included in traditional mental health treatment services due to beliefs that these individuals cannot benefit from mental health counseling and that mental health clinicians are not capable of treating this population. Some research exists that discusses techniques and interventions recommended to serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in mental health; however, there is little information on the specific counselors who are willing and able to support this population. A qualitative methodology was utilized to examine the phenomenon of mental health practitioners with experience serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. …

A Phenomenological Study Of Six Helping Professionals And Their Experiences With A Persistent Adolescent Suicide Cluster, Bobbi-Jo Woodford

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of six helping professionals, or gatekeepers, who serve the same community and in their professional roles have been professionally exposed to an adolescent suicide cluster. The purpose was to explore a fresh perspective, to uncover similarities between the participants’ experiences, and to better understand the effects that teen suicide has on helping professionals. The three-part interview design did achieve data saturation, and the multi-phase analysis stimulated the emergence of five distinct themes: adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as a root cause, a description of the at-risk teen population, short-term crisis response, long-term stabilization, …

Oooh, It’S Sooo Good!!!: Black Adolescent Females Experiencing The Delicacy Of Reading, Jacqueline B. Koonce

The Qualitative Report

Black adolescent females have largely been neglected in the research literature on their avid reading. While Gibson (2010) explained that Black girls are often portrayed in the literature as struggling and even “remedial” readers, those Black adolescent females who are avid readers receive even less attention. The purpose of this study, then, was to investigate the voracious reading proclivities of this population in order to provide a balanced view of Black adolescent females’ reading lives. The findings of this phenomenological study indicate that these five participants go beyond loving reading; they crave it. The meaning of reading for these participants …

Twenty Years Of Technology Integration And Foreign Language Teaching: A Phenomenological Reflective Interview Study, Nilsa Becho Sullivan, Kakali Bhattacharya

The Qualitative Report

The evolution of the use of technology in the foreign language classroom has proven to be a challenge. In this paper, we highlight a study whose purpose is to understand how one retired foreign language educator reflected on the ways in which she integrated different modes of technology in her classroom. In this interview study, the participant discussed how technology has evolved in the span of her twenty-year career as a foreign language educator and how she integrated various technologies as they evolved in her classroom. The researchers employed a modified van Kaam method as defined by Moustakas (1994) to …

Leaving Home For African Americans In The Emerging Adulthood Era: A Phenomenological Study, Natosha N. Wilson, Joanni L. Sailor, Shaun I. Calix, William Carney

The Qualitative Report

There has been limited research regarding how minority culture youth experience leaving home. Eight African American individuals who had “launched” from their families-of-origin were interviewed. By using Moustakas’ Transcendental Phenomenological method, several themes emerged to describe the lived experience of leaving home. The themes included need for independence, a comparison of privilege for others and oppression for self, obligation to family, and pride in self-sufficiency. According to the findings in this study, leaving home for young African Americans is a culturally distinct experience which aligns more closely with traditional patterns of leaving home. Although the emerging adulthood era functions as …

Early Childhood Teachers’ Pedagogical Reasoning About How Children Learn During Language And Literacy Instruction, Rachel E. Schachter

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The knowledge that teachers hold about children’s learning is important to teachers’ practice. Few studies have examined how early childhood teachers use such knowledge during moment-to-moment instruction for language and literacy learning. This study employed a phenomenological approach to understand the knowledge that eight early childhood teachers used to inform their pedagogical reasoning during language and literacy activities. Stimulated recall interviews about practice were conducted with the prekindergarten teachers. Results indicated that the teachers used multiple sources of knowledge to inform their pedagogical reasoning that included: conceptions about how children learn; knowledge about specific children and the learning goals for …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Sport And Fandom Through Hans-Georg Gadamer And Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Alexander Regina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project aims to uncover the phenomenological and communicative roots of sport fandom from the fan perspective, taking into account the many ways in which fans come to contact sport and integrate corresponding experiences into their own lives and sense of being in the world. Hans-Georg Gadamer and Maurice Merleau-Ponty are used to understand the conventions of play that manifest in sport, leading not only to the co-creation of the game experience due to the intertwining of spectators and players but also to the interplay of temporal realms that leads to what Gadamer calls the fusion of horizons. Through …

Becoming Human Through The Communalization Of Trauma And Healing: Experiences Of Support Among Former Child Soldiers In Northern Uganda, Jordan Childress Farrar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite global protections intended to protect children and hold governments and militarized groups accountable, contemporary discourse surrounding armed conflict recognizes the continued presence of children in war. While the knowledge base surrounding this issue is still in its infancy, some notable shifts have occurred regarding what we know about this group. Initial inquiry centered the individual and their trauma, which over time has expanded to consider the influence of the larger sociocultural context on one's recovery after war. In fact, research has begun to document the protective nature of community acceptance and support for children affected by armed conflict. To …

Aztec Human Sacrifice As Entertainment? The Physio-Psycho-Social Rewards Of Aztec Sacrificial Celebrations, Linda Jane Hansen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human sacrifice in the sixteenth-century Aztec Empire, as recorded by Spanish chroniclers, was conducted on a large scale and was usually the climactic ritual act culminating elaborate multi-day festivals. Scholars have advanced a wide range of theories explaining the underlying motivations and purposes of these abundant and regulated ritual massacres. Recent scholarship on human sacrifice in ancient Mexico has observed far more complexity, nuance, and fluidity in the nature of these rituals than earlier mono-causal explanations. Several recent examinations have concentrated their analysis on the use of sacred space, architecture, movement, and embodiment in these festivals. As an extension of …

The Identity Formation Of South Asians: A Phenomenological Study, Shabana Shaheen

Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the lived experiences of South Asians college students. This research, through a qualitative study that is rooted in the philosophy of phenomenology, explores the essence South Asians’ identity formation. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with South Asian college students. The data analysis was under a phenomenological lens that centered the lived experiences and the essence of these experiences in the results. Seven themes emerged from this phenomenological study: negotiating bicultural identity, model minority expectations, meaningful impact of religious spaces, understandings of intra-community tensions, racialization of Islamophobia, understandings of South Asian identity and efficacy of Asian …

Effect Of Intimate Partner Violence On Children Of Puerto Rican Women, Maria Natal-Gopin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence [IPV] is a preventable and costly societal issue that has reached epidemic proportions. Women are often the victims of IPV, and millions of children are exposed to it annually. The purpose of this study was to explore experiences of Puerto Rican mothers and their perceptions of how IPV exposure may have impacted their children using resilience theory. Data were collected via audiotaped individual interviews with 9 Puerto Rican mothers who endured an array of escalating IPV, often exacerbated by the perpetrators use of alcohol or drugs, and had IPV-exposed children aged 6 -11 years. Data analysis integrated …

Mission Completion, Troop Welfare And Destructive Idealism: A Case Study On The Phenomenology Of A Combat Veteran’S Social Reintegration, Gary Senecal, Marycatherine Mcdonald

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among combat veterans remains an urgent and intractable problem for those who have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this paper, we argue that one of the reasons that combat related PTSD remains so difficult to treat is because psychologists - and American culture at large - do not fully understand it yet. It is our contention that there are two contributing factors that currently hinder our ability to successfully treat combat related PTSD. The first is a failure to look critically at the theoretical underpinnings that ground our current understanding of the …

From Dawn To Dan: The Journey Of Karate Masters., Brandon W. Maynard

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The contributions martial arts training can make to mental health treatment have scarcely been explored by researchers in psychology. Practitioners of martial arts, such as karate, report that the training improves self-esteem, concentration, and emotional well-being. Several studies have provided empirical evidence in support of these anecdotal reports, but very few have utilized participants who have advanced training in martial arts to examine the emotional impact such training has across time. This study takes a phenomenological approach to studying the emotional effects training has had on master-level martial artists (fourth-degree black belt or higher) in the discipline of karate. Eight …

Understanding The Experience Of Immigration Among Adult Mexican-Born Males Living In The United States: An Exploration Of Grief, Loss, And Coping, Mauricio B. Ortiz

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This study uses psychoanalytic object relations theory to understand and analyze the lived experiences of adult Mexican males which will include the psychological meaning of loss and grief resulting from immigrating into the United States. The literature review illustrates and serves as a guide to broaden the understanding of the complex psychological and emotional processes that adult Mexican immigrants experience when faced with the reality of adapting to a host-culture. Participants were interviewed through a descriptive phenomenological approach seeking a complete description of their lived immigration experiences of grief, loss, and coping. After analysis of the transcriptions, several notable themes …

Experiential Journey Of Females Who Enter Or Re-Enter College Later In Life To Degree Completion, Rita Audy Johnston

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Given the scope and paucity of knowledge about the lived experiences of the female adult student entering or re-entering college later in life to degree completion, this research study identified significant themes in their lived experiences. With an appreciative eye, this study captured the female adult students’ lived experiences conveyed in a rich, inter-connected, and inspiring picture of who they are embedded into the larger context of society; such as role identity theory, social identity theory and the applicability and interpretations of these two theories on their journey to degree completion. This study also portrayed selected aspects of the feminist …

A Day In The Life Of A Sim: Making Meaning Of Video Game Avatars And Behaviors, Jessica Stark

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

With video game usage--and criticism on its activity--on the rise, it may be helpful for the psychological community to understand what it actually means to play video games, and what the lived experience entails. This qualitative, phenomenological study specifically explores user behaviors and decisions in the simulated life video game, The Sims. Ten participants completed one- to two-hour long semi-structured interviews, and the data was transcribed, organized into 1,988 codes, which were clustered into 30 categories, and from which six themes ultimately emerged. These resulting themes are: self-representation; past, present, and future; purpose for play; self-reflection; co-creation; and familiarity. The …